Aswad b. Yazid

He was a companion of Ibn Masʿūd. Aswad b. Yazid al-Nakhaʿī was among the great figures of the tābiʿūn (the generation following the Companions), one of the foremost among the companions of Ibn Masʿūd, and a leading figure among the people of Kufa. He would fast throughout the year. His eyesight was lost due to his frequent fasting. He had come to the House (the Kaʿba) eighty times to perform either the ḥajj (major pilgrimage) or ʿumra (minor pilgrimage). Whenever he intended to go for ḥajj or ʿumra, he would begin to recite the tahlīl (proclamation of God's oneness) as soon as he set out from Kufa. He passed away in this year. He would continue fasting until the crops had sprouted and turned yellow. While he was in the throes of death, he began to weep. When he was asked, "Why are you weeping?" he replied: "Why should I not weep? I am more deserving of this than anyone. By Allah, even if I were informed that I had been forgiven by Allah, I would still fear because of my shame at what I have done. A person has some small sins that remain hidden between himself and Allah; when Allah forgives these sins, the person is continually ashamed of them."